Woonsocket Harris Public Library - Woonsocket, Rhode Island USA
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N 42° 00.334 W 071° 30.497
19T E 292281 N 4653437
Like many nearby libraries, Woonsocket has outgrown, relocated and renovated its home since first opening to the public in 1868. Unlike those of the surrounding communities, the Harris Public Library missed the aesthetic mark when conceived in 1973.
Waymark Code: WMZX7Z
Location: Rhode Island, United States
Date Posted: 01/17/2019
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Aside from a large, flat parking lot and a portion of the clerestory windows properly positioned facing [almost] North, Woonsocket's Harris Public Library design seems to be borne from a calamity of "design by committee" -- and that committee didn't like each other very well or follow basic rules of good design.
According the the library's
website, "The building was designed in a style by William Warner and Associates to capture the essence of Woonsocket‘s historic mills." One wonders if the architecture firm ever saw any of those mills in person, or merely listened once to a single paragraph description written by a struggling first year middle school student.
Brick facade? Check. But the front side is always in shade or shadow giving the appearance of a dark foreboding presence because of the building's orientation.
Clerestory windows? Included.
Town Clock? Embedded up high, front and center; currently only right twice a day.
Roof lines? Several. Roofing material? Residential asphalt shingles.
Clear, obvious and inviting front entryway front and center beneath the clock in the most prominent protrusion? No. That's a sunken "garden" hidden behind a tree. The doorway is off to the left within an ill-fitting little archway. However...
"Never judge a book by it's cover," the adage goes.
"It's what's inside that counts." The contents are neat and orderly. The staff and patrons pleasant.
Programs and events are offered six days a week. Special collections include genealogical materials and local history resources. Plentiful resources for kids and teens are available. Over 55,000 eBook, audiobook, and video titles including 1,000 Spanish language options can be accessed with a valid library card.
Museum Passes:
The Audubon Society of Rhode Island
Highland Street Foundation - Free Fun Fridays
Museum of Work and Culture
Mystic Aquarium
Providence Children's Museum
Roger Williams Park Zoo
Salem Witch Museum
This library is a member of the
Ocean State Libraries consortium. As a member of OSL, which serves the Rhode Island community by sharing materials, services, and electronic resources, library card holders may check out and return books from and to here and any other OSL member institution in the state.